Trump one, Media nil, as Mueller probe ends
The conclusion by special counsel Robert Mueller that there was no evidence of collusion between Russia and anyone on the Trump team ends two years of disproportionate — if not obsessive — focus on every iota of information that emerged from the investigation. However you spin it, it’s a big victory for Trump, who insisted throughout that he did not collude with the Russians.
Public trust in the media — already abysmal — is liable to be damaged even more as a result of the findings. After 22 months of being told repeatedly that Trump’s presidency is “nearing its end,” the public is not going to get very excited about any problematic findings in the report that haven’t come out yet.
The investigation’s outcome gives a significant tailwind to Trump’s reelection effort, and robs the Democrats of their best weapon against him — the cloud of suspicion relating to Russia. If anything, now Trump wields the weapon: The establishment spent two years and $30 million combing for evidence of criminal activity by the president, and found none. This could well be the dawn of a new day for his presidency. After the November 2018 midterm elections, the Democrats spoke pugnaciously of impeaching Trump. Now he is clearly here to stay.
This has ramifications far beyond the domestic political realm: There are economic, diplomatic, and geopolitical repercussions as well. Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un now know for certain that Trump will serve out his first term, and looks more likely to win a second. This will also affect how the Palestinians look at the peace plan.
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